Disney Debuts a New, Innovative Approach to Early Learning with Disney Imagicademy

Research-Driven Curriculum Developed with Top Education Experts
Focuses on Key Developmental SubjectsNew Brand of Connected Products Aims to Inspire a Lifelong Love of
Learning and Make Learning a Family ExperienceTo tweet this release, copy and paste http://bit.ly/disneyimagicademy
to your twitter handle.

GLENDALE, Calif., Dec 04, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world’s largest publisher of children’s
books and apps and a division of Disney Consumer Products (DCP), today
unveiled Disney Imagicademy, a new technology-driven learning
initiative designed for families with children 3 to 8 to encourage
children to learn by creating, doing and making.

Disney Imagicademy offers parents a way to expose their children
to fundamental educational concepts in a fun and uniquely Disney way,
combining the Disney characters and stories families love, with a
research-driven curriculum developed in conjunction with top academic
and education experts.

The integrated program includes 30 plus app-based experiences -- five of
which will be available on December 11, along with a companion app for
parents that will help them play an active role in their child’s
learning -- as well as books and other physical products that will be
available for back-to-school 2015. The apps and products cover key
subject matters that are important for early childhood development,
including math, creative arts, science, language arts and social and
emotional skills.

“Disney Consumer Products is transforming the future of our industry by
integrating storytelling, play—and now learning—to create deeper, more
engaging experiences for kids and families,” said Bob Chapek, president,
Disney Consumer Products. “For more than 80 years, Disney Publishing has
created stories for children that foster a love of reading and inspire
their natural curiosity and with Disney Imagicademy, we
are taking the next step and offering parents a learning product unique
in the marketplace today. We tapped a panel of top-notch education
experts to help us create Disney themed, cutting-edge learning products
that kids can both learn from and enjoy playing with.”

Extensive conversations with parents revealed a significant need in the
early learning digital space. Parents expressed frustration with the
inconsistent quality and lack of connected experiences currently
available in the app marketplace. Feedback from parents was paired with
the expertise of top academic, early childhood development and play
experts to create Disney Imagicademy.

“Early math experiences are an essential part of building confident
learners,” said Dr. Douglas H. Clements, an internationally renowned
expert on the development of mathematics understanding in young children
and a member of the Disney Imagicademy Board of Advisors. “Such
experiences are surprisingly important to children’s development not
only of mathematics topics, but of higher-order thinking skills and
general success in school. I am pleased that Disney Imagicademy
is helping to produce those experiences with research-driven curriculum
and high-quality game mechanics, and I am excited to see its impact on
early learning.”

In addition to children’s products, Disney Imagicademy also aims
to make learning a family experience with Disney Imagicademy Parents,
a companion app designed especially for parents that enables them to be
a part of their children’s progress. The Parents app provides a
wealth of features to support their children’s educational development,
including an accessible way to facilitate an ongoing conversation with
their child about what they are learning, functionality to receive
real-time updates about their children’s progress, the ability to reward
accomplishments digitally and remotely through digital high-fives, and
opportunities to inspire offline learning through a continuously updated
content feed of ideas tied directly to concepts children are exposed to
in the apps.

“Disney Imagicademy Parents is the cornerstone of the Imagicademy
experience,” said Brooke Burke-Charvet, TV personality, co-CEO of
ModernMom and guest curator, Disney Imagicademy Parents. “I think
it’s wonderful that there is a tool that gives parents an easy and
accessible way to stay involved in their children’s learning experience.
I love that I’m a part of a program that makes learning fun for my kids.”

Jeff Sellinger, senior vice president, Disney Learning added, “Disney
Imagicademy’s integrated program connects children’s apps, a parents
app and physical toys to create a unique family experience that helps
inspire a lifelong love of learning. The physical and digital worlds are
coming together in nearly every industry, and with Disney
Imagicademy, the learning field is no exception.”

The second suite of digital apps in the Disney Imagicademy
line-up is Mickey’s Magical Arts World. Focused on creative arts,
the suite will be available on the Apple App Store for download in
January 2015.

Physical products and learning toys will launch in time for
back-to-school 2015, featuring forward-thinking and innovative brands at
the intersection of technology and play, including Smart Toy, Kid
Designs, Wonder Forge and Mercury Active.

Mickey’s Magical Math World and Disney Imagicademy Parents
will be available on December 11 exclusively on the Apple App Store. For
additional Disney Imagicademy mobile apps updates and
information, visit www.DisneyImagicademy.com,
Facebook at Facebook.com/disneyimagicademy and Twitter at @Imagicademy.

About Disney Publishing Worldwide

Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world's largest publisher of
children's books, magazines, and apps, igniting imagination through
storytelling in ever-inventive ways. DPW creates and publishes books and
magazines both vertically in-house and through an extensive worldwide
licensing structure. As a leader in digital products, DPW creates
bestselling eBook titles and best-in-class original apps that have
garnered more than 50 awards to date. DPW is also committed to the
educational development of children around the world through Disney
Learning which includes our flagship learning brand, Disney
Imagicademy, as well as Disney English and other Disney themed
learning products. Headquartered in Glendale, California, DPW publishes
books, magazines and digital products in 85 countries in 75 languages.
For more information visit www.disneypublishing.com.

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